It's Great To Be Home

Reader Question: What To Do With These Windows?

April 1, 2010 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 7 Comments

Window treatments can be one of the most frustrating {i.e., annoying} design elements in a room – you have to think about light control, privacy, expenses, style of treatment, fabric choice . . . the list goes on and on! One of my lovely readers is struggling with choosing window treatments for her family room, and wrote in a for a little advice. Here’s her note:

So I have a window dilemma – I think I want to cover the long window in our family room, but with what? I HATE vertical blinds – and that’s the only thing I’ve seen on my neighbor’s houses who have windows like ours. The window isn’t centered in the room, so I think curtains are out – plus I wouldn’t want them to go to the floor since it’s the playroom too. I can’t imagine finding pull down shades that would work since it’s soooo big. And I have a feeling any custom pull down blinds would cost almost a grand. I just don’t want to spend more than a couple/few hundred dollars…. Do you have any suggestions? Should we just keep it open? Do you think your readers would want to chime in? If not, that’s totally fine…just thought I would check with you since you’ve been so helpful in the past! { . . . } ~ Christy

{ P.S. If you haven’t already checked out Christy’s post about her family room makeover, you totally should – it’s awesome! Just click here to scope it out. }

In some followup emails with Christy, I learned that she wanted any window treatments to be functional so that she can completely cover the windows when she wants to. Knowing all that, here are some affordable ideas I came up with to conquer her large {and gorgeous} windows:

1. DIY Roman Shades. I’ve been dying to try this idea ever since Britt made them for her bedroom.

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The basic idea is that Christy would use a length of fabric that extends from one side of the windows to the other, and from the ceiling to the window ledge beneath the windows (treating the 3 panels of the window like one big window). Screw a cup hook near the top of the window frame on each vertical section of the frame (so you’ll have 4 cup hooks in all). Then sew four little rings onto the back side of the fabric panel to line up with the cup hooks – these rings will be used to pull up the shades and let in some light, so think about how much window you’ll want to expose. That’s it! Check out Britt’s blog for even more details.

Drop cloths {like the ones Britt used} would be a great affordable fabric that can be gussied up with ribbon, and the neutral tones would work well with Christy’s furniture – another alternative would be to use one long length of a punchy, graphic fabric like the ones below to play off the beautiful blues and patterns in the space {and remember that you might want to line the shades for extra light control and so that they’re pretty when you see them from outside, as well}.

From left to right, top to bottom. 1. Waverly Sun N Shade Lenox Horizon, 2. Woodland Delight CD4085-Blue Fabric by Paula Prass, 3. Waverly Ellis Turquoise, 4. Premier Prints Giraffe Brown/French Blue, 5. Premier Prints Trellis French Blue/Kelso Brown, 6. P Kaufmann Loopy Lou Robin’s Egg, 7. Woodland Delight DC4084-Blue Fabric by Paula Prass, 8. Shangri-La 3883-22 Fabric by 3 Sisters, 9. Pavilion Indoor/Outdoor by Duralee, 10. Waverly Sun N Shade Outdoor Fabric-Lovely Lattice Lagoon Fabric, 11. Invidgodk in Confetti, 12. Waverly Cross Section Charcoal.

2. Alternate Version of DIY Roman Shades. This version will let you have two different fabrics, like a neutral on the front and a pattern on the back. Instead of the fabric folding underneath itself, you would “button up” the bottom of the shade to expose the patterned fabric on the back of the shade.

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You can check out a more detailed tutorial here.

3. Faux Custom Roman Blinds. Custom blinds are expensive, so why not fake it? The Youngsters do it, and so can you.

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Believe it or not, these custom-looking bamboo blinds {above and below} are just a series of inexpensive blinds hung together to look like a single unit. Can’t tell, can ya?

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Just be sure to keep any cords out of the reach of little ones. And for a more polished look, you can always add a pair of curtain panels or a valance.

So those are my ideas for Christy’s naked window – what about you guys? Chime on in, we want to hear about your solution!

P.S. I loved reading all of your guesses about yesterday’s post . . . you’ll have to stay tuned to find out for sure! :)

Back In Black: Beth’s Beautiful Budget Kitchen Makeover

June 11, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 14 Comments

The moral of this kitchen makeover is to make the most of what you’ve got. That’s definitely what Beth did when she took her blast from the past kitchen and updated it with a sophisticated color palette and modern touches – all without breaking the bank. Here’s what Beth had to say about her inspiring kitchen makeover:

Hey there! I LOVE your blog, and your transformation is absolutely amazing. I bought a 35 year old home and have really been busy with it, so I completely understand. I didn’t have the money to completely renovate our kitchen, so most of the changes had to be cosmetic. I attached the before and after of our 70s kitchen. I actually did this entire project in a week (after getting home from work at 5pm each night!). I worked really hard, but I was glad to knock it out in one week, and was pretty happy with the result. And all for under $3000! ~ Beth

Here’s the 70s kitchen that Beth started out with – functional but totally lacking in style:

After a week of late nights and tons of elbow grease, Beth had this stunner of a kitchen to show for all of her hard work:

Amazing, right? Here’s what Beth did and how she did it:

(1) Pick a tight color palette. Beth definitely planned ahead before she tackled her kitchen makeover, right down to the color of the accessories. Pops of fire engine red keep your eye moving around the kitchen and provide great contrast to the simple, black cabinetry and stainless steel accents.

(2) Bring the cabinets into the 21st century. Beth’s kitchen cabinets were a blast from the past, but they were in great condition. Instead of starting from scratch, she made the smart (and cost-effective) decision to paint the existing cabinetry (check out a tutorial here). After a few coats of tinted primer and black paint, Beth’s cabinets no longer screamed “70s”!! Switching out the old brass hardware with new chrome knobs was another easy fix that modernized this kitchen in a snap. (Tip: Use a tinted primer when going from light to dark – it will help you get to the desired color faster and let you get away with fewer coats of paint).

(3) Increase functionality. Beth’s kitchen had tons of unused space in the middle, so Beth made the perfect choice to add a kitchen island – talk about a feature that every homeowner wants!! Now she has extra counterspace, additional storage, and a place for two barstools in her spacious kitchen. And the best part? That stunner of an island was a steal at only $200 from World Market.

(4) Add some luxurious touches. There’s no doubt about it, stainless steel appliances are the “it” thing to have in your kitchen these days. Spending a little extra cash for these snazzy appliances will add a bit of luxury to your kitchen, and will also pay off in a big way when it comes time to sell your home. And in Beth’s case, she found jaw-dropping deals at Sears (where we also got our kitchen appliances, and where we’ll be getting appliances for our flip) and practically stole her new goodies for under $2,500 – I’m so impressed!! The icing on the cake is that Sears delivered Beth’s gleaming, new appliances in just 2 days.

(5) Let there be light. Beth replaced her outdated ceiling light with a simple modern fixture from Home Depot that perfectly compliments her shiny new cabinet knobs and gorgeous appliances.

(6) Stay grounded. What’s the use in sprucing up the rest of the place if the flooring is still blah? Beth was able to instantly update her old linoleum with some great new flooring from Home Depot in an earthy tone.

I still can’t get over the fact that Beth completed her entire makeover for under 3 grand, including the new appliances – way to go!!! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Beth’s transformation – and be sure to stop by Beth’s blog to check out her other DIY projects!

P.S. When it rains, it pours!! Beth’s getting two back-to-back features this week, today here on IGTBH and yesterday on Young House Love. Lucky duck!

And thanks to Christy of A Lil’ Welsh Rarebit for giving me the cutest award ever – you rock!!

Want to see your own DIY project or makeover featured on IGTBH? Send it in to itsgreattobehome@yahoo.com, we can’t wait to see it!

Paint By Numbers

April 1, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 11 Comments

Hey there all you paint-happy people! After our renovation was featured last weekend on Young House Love I got bunches of emails from you guys asking about the paint colors that we used, so I decided it’s high time for me to finally spill the paint-covered beans. So hold onto your paint stirrers ’cause here we go!

1. What brand of paint did you use? Our original plan was to use Behr from Home Depot, simply because that’s what we’re familiar with (and there’s a Home Depot about an inch from our house). But it turns out that painters in our area recommend Pittsburgh Paints like it’s going out of style, so we went ahead and gave them a whirl. Turned out pretty darn well, if you ask me!! The coverage is awesome (not too runny or thin) and they have tons of awesome shades to pick from. (My personal favorite is Toasted Almond, but more about that later).

2. Did you use all latex, or did you use some oil-based? We actually used a little bit of both. All of our drywall was painted with a flat latex paint – flat because I typically think shiny walls are a big no-no and latex because the cleanup is so easy, the paint dries in a snap, fumes aren’t as bad and drywall typically doesn’t need the tough finish that oil-based paints provide. However, all of the wood surfaces in our house were painted with an oil-based semi-gloss paint that is super-tough and dries super-smooth. When you’re dealing with wood surfaces like trim or cabinets that are really smooth, you want a paint like an oil-based that will dry without any streaks or brush marks or else all of your hard work will wind up looking kinda funky. Oil-based paint also adheres really well to wood so it helps prevent all of your nice woodwork from getting scratched and nicked over time. And we used a semi-gloss because I love it when wood has a subtle sheen – it makes your woodwork stand out and get the appreciation it deserves.

We wound up going through tons of that oil-based semi-gloss on all of our molding, doors and cabinetry throughout the house, as well as the wood paneling in our den:

3. How did you decide what paint colors to use? Ahh, picking paint colors. I was tempted to fib a little and tell you that it was easy breezy picking colors for this house, but let me tell you – it wasn’t. At first I was all gung-ho about the thought of picking out colors for each room – I got out our trusty paint deck each night after work, picked out colors and discussed the pros and cons of each color with my husband. We had the entire house picked out in no time. And then it came time to actually commit to the colors. And I freaked out.

How was I supposed to pick out paint colors for an entire house when I couldn’t even look at our furniture or bedding to figure out which paint colors would look best with our stuff?? That’s right, all of our stuff was still in storage when it came time to paint – talk about scary! So after I freaked out a little, my mom and I went to the paint store and picked up a whole bunch of those little pint samples of the paint colors that we liked and went to town – I swear, our house must have looked like a disgruntled painters’ union ran through it. But in the end, that’s the best thing we could have done – spending just a little money on those samples saved us a ton of money in the long run because as great as those paint decks are they can never really tell you exactly what the paint is going to look like on your wall. So here’s my earth-shattering tip that we all know but try to ignore – try it out before you buy it! And as an added bonus, you’ll have all of those little paint samples left over for touch-ups or DIY projects down the road.

4. What colors did you use? After all the drama of picking the paint colors was over, we wound up with paint colors that we absolutely love. Some of them I know I’ll use in my house forever. Here’s the list:

LOCATION PAINT COLOR/TYPE

Trim, cabinets, den walls Atrium White, 523-1 (oil; semi-gloss)

Office Balsam, 510-4 (flat latex)

Entry Toasted Almond, 414-3 (flat latex)

Dining Toasted Almond, 414-3 (flat latex)

Kitchen Toasted Almond, 414-3 (flat latex)

Craft Room Graceful, 452-3 (flat latex)

Laundry Bathroom Subtle Blue, 452-1 (flat latex)

Laundry Subtle Blue, 452-1 (flat latex)

Hallway Antique White, 516-2 (flat latex)

Second Bedroom Tradewinds, 453-2 (flat latex)

Third Bedroom Antique White, 516-2 (flat latex)

Jack & Jill Bathroom White Sage, 410-2 (flat latex)

Master Bedroom Toasted Almond, 414-3 (flat latex)

Master Bathroom Toasted Almond, 414-3 (flat latex)

All closets Ceiling White

All ceilings (except den) Ceiling White

Den ceiling Atrium White, 523-1 (flat latex)

Hall Bathroom Felicity, 453-3 (flat latex)

You can see most of the colors in action right here (and the rest are coming soon). But for those of you that need instant gratification, here’s a quick visual breakdown of our colors:

[Keep in mind that these colors are only as accurate as your computer monitor. On my screen, the Jack 'n Jill bath looks blue when it's actually green. Weird.]

Here’s a little floorplan of our house so you can visualize where the colors go:

5. Do you like all of the colors that you picked? Yes. Toasted Almond and Atrium White are my total faves – they are glorious. However, if I were to do it all over again I would not pick so many shades of the same colors. At the time I thought that it was important for each room to be slightly different so that the house wouldn’t feel monotonous, but in the end I basically wound up picking the same colors over and over again. It turns out that I like blues, greens and tans and they all work in the house so there was no point in me trying to reinvent the wheel for each room – next time I will just pick a shade of each color and stick with it.

So that’s it! The paint colors for my whole house in a nutshell. What do you think? Has picking paint colors driven you batty? Any tips for picking the perfect shade??

Check out Apartment Therapy for a few tips on choosing paint colors for your home from Farrow & Ball.